


A Congratulatory Gift

by KyluxFicHell



Category: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Supportive Mildred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 19:30:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16582658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyluxFicHell/pseuds/KyluxFicHell
Summary: “This was my grandmother’s engagement ring.” Mildred speaks slowly, as if to a child. “She had fucking fat fingers, for a lady. Anyways, I always used to think that one day Angela would meet a nice boy, and maybe I’d give him that ring to give to her.”She pauses for a moment, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.“So yeah.” Mildred clears her throat. “Angela’s not gonna be wearing it, and Robbie’s not interested. So I thought maybe that ring might look good on Welby.”Jason stares at the ring in front of him, the diamond glinting under the dim lights of the bar. “What the fuck?”





	A Congratulatory Gift

“So.” Mildred takes a swig of beer before slamming her bottle down on the table. “Congrats on being a fuckin’ cop again, I guess.”

She slides her bottle forward to clink it against Jason’s, and he’s so surprised that he forgets to return the gesture.

“How did you know I got my job back?” Jason doesn’t bother to hide his frown. He hadn’t told many people and he knows that once something gets out in Ebbing, Missouri, the whole town will know before the week is over. 

It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ people knowing that he got his job back. He just doesn’t want them knowing _yet_. He’s not superstitious or anything, but this is a chance he knows he won’t get again and he doesn’t want to jinx it, not while things are just starting to look up for him. 

“Welby told me.”

Mildred takes another swig of beer.

Jason sighs. The music in the bar suddenly seems a lot louder.

“How come I had to hear it from Red, huh?” Mildred points an accusatory finger at Jason, but there’s a playful smirk on her face. “I thought we were supposed to be friends, Dixon?”

“I just wanted to keep it quiet for a little while is all.” Jason chews his lip and thumbs the label of the beer bottle. “Red wasn’t supposed to go blabbing.”

He’s a little annoyed, but it also warms Jason’s heart a little to think that Red was so excited about this that he had to tell Mildred.

“You drive across the country with a guy, you become friends.” Mildred leans back into her side of the booth. “You talk each other out of murder-“

“ _Jesus Christ_ , Mildred! Keep your voice down!”

“-I’m just saying,” Mildred says placatingly with a roll of her eyes, “you and I are buddies now. We ought to tell each other these things.”

Jason shrugs, staring at the guys playing pool in the corner. “Was gonna tell ya eventually.”

Mildred lets out a cackle. “I’m just yanking your chain, Dixon.”

Even though they _are_ friends now, Jason is still a bit scared of her sometimes. He’s never met another woman quite like her; a woman who could make him almost piss his pants with a single glare. Except maybe his Momma.

Mildred’s smile softens. “Congrats, Dixon. You earned it.”

Compliments from Mildred Hayes are rare.  Everyone in Ebbing knows that.

“Thanks.” Jason returns the smile and taps Mildred’s beer bottle with his own. 

“I got something for ya.” Mildred downs her bottle in one. “A congratulatory gift.” She fumbles in her pocket for a moment before placing a small black box on the table and sliding it towards Jason.

”Mildred, you didn’t have to-“

“You gonna stare at it or are you gonna open it, Dixon?”

Jason’s sure he’s seen this in a movie once, so he has an idea of what to expect, but he’s still surprised when he opens the box to find a diamond ring inside.

“I don’t get it,” Jason says, tongue heavy.

“This was my grandmother’s engagement ring.” Mildred speaks slowly, as if to a child. “She had fucking fat fingers, for a lady. Anyways, I always used to think that one day Angela would meet a nice boy, and maybe I’d give him that ring to give to her.”

She pauses for a moment, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

“So yeah.” Mildred clears her throat. “Angela’s not gonna be wearing it, and Robbie’s not interested. So I thought maybe that ring might look good on Welby.”

Jason stares at the ring in front of him, the diamond glinting under the dim lights of the bar. “What the fuck?”

“C’mon Dixon, grow a pair why don’t ya. You and Red have been knockin’ boots for how long now? A year?”

“-Fourteen months-“

“Fourteen fuckin’ months.” Mildred bangs her hand flat on the table to emphasise her point. “And still no sign of y’all getting married.”

Jason swallows. Marriage is not something that he’d ever talked about with Red. He’d never really considered himself marriage material; he’d always thought he would make a shitty husband, and he never thought he’d meet anyone who’d want to actually legally bind themselves to him.

He tries to imagine the ring in front of him on Red’s slim finger. Tries to imagine how Red might look if Jason offered him something like this. Tries to imagine what it might be like if Red gave him a warm smile and said _yes_.

“He won’t wanna wear it.” The thought comes out before Jason can filter it. He can hear the thickness in his voice and tries to ignore the sting of tears in his eyes.

_He won’t want me._

Mildred raises an eyebrow at him.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Dixon? I ain’t ever seen someone spread their legs for you as eagerly as Welby-“

“Hey,” Jason growls. “Show some goddamn respect.”

“I’m just sayin’.” Mildred rolls her eyes. “That boy is mighty fond of you. When I ran in to him at the convenience store he couldn’t stop talkin’ about you and how proud he was of you for getting your job back.” She reaches out and pats Jason on the arm, her eyes softer now. “Red _loves_ you, Dixon. There’s someone good and patient and kind in this town who loves you. Why the hell wouldn’t he want to wear it?”

She nudges the box a little closer to Jason.

“I dunno.” Jason can’t bring himself to look at her or at the goddamn ring. “Probably cos I’m too old. Too poor.” He blinks a few times, trying to ignore how blurry his surroundings are. “Too stupid.”

“Doesn’t seem to have bothered him so far,” Mildred points out. Her tone is matter-of-fact rather than malicious.

She’s right though. Red has never really acknowledged the slight age gap between them, other than a throwaway comment once when he mentioned he preferred older men.

He’s also never seemed particularly bothered by Jason’s financial situation. Jason’s been unemployed for over a year and he’s always felt embarrassed whenever he’s had to root around in his wallet for his last few dollars to pay for dinner or a round of drinks at the bar, and Red has told him _don’t worry about it_ and pulled out his credit card. Now he’s got his job back, Jason’s looking forward to finally being able to take Red somewhere nice, to really treat him.

And Jason knows for sure that Red is a whole lot smarter than he is. Red went to _college_ and reads classic novels in his spare time. But he also takes an interest in Jason’s comic books, asking him questions with genuine curiosity. Despite their different backgrounds they actually have a lot in common. They enjoy the same kinds of movies and TV shows, and Red’s taste in music is pretty good. He’s been making playlists for Jason’s phone recently, insisting that he will need some good music for when he’s back at work and doing paperwork at his desk.

“Hey. Dixon.” Mildred’s soft voice brings Jason back to the noisy bar. “Do you love Red?”

The question startles him for a moment, but he thinks of Red waiting back home for him, probably asleep on the couch under an old patchy blanket. Imagines how he’ll be greeted with a soft sleepy smile and beautiful blue eyes when he gets back. Blue eyes that have made his insides feel like liquid ever since they fixed on him in that hospital room as he sipped orange juice through a straw.

“Yeah,” Jason replies firmly. “More than anything.”

Mildred smiles. “Then what the hell are you waiting for?”

Jason downs the rest of his beer and takes the little black box, pocketing it as he stands.

“Thanks, Mildred.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek. “For everything.”

She gives him a wink as he makes for the door, yelling behind him, “I’d sure as hell better get an invite to the wedding!”

*****

When Jason gets home, he’s surprised to find Red is still up, although he does have a patchy blanket draped round his shoulders. He’s watching some crappy sitcom, the TV casting a dim glow over his pale skin.

“Hey,” Red greets him with a soft smile. His hair is sticking up oddly, suggesting that he had fallen asleep at some point. “How was your evening?”

“Pretty good.” Jason sinks down onto the couch next to the younger man, giving him a brief kiss on the lips. “Mildred was in good spirits.”

“That’s good,” Red yawns, moulding himself into Jason’s side. “She’s been a little down recently. She swung by the office last week. And I ran into her at the convenience store the other day.”

Even though they’ve been together for over a year, Jason still can’t get used to how goddamn good it feels to have another human being cuddle up to him like this.

“Yeah, she told me. She also said a little birdie told her I got my job back.”

Red smiles sheepishly. “Uh, yeah. I might’ve mentioned something. I was just so excited and proud of you, and she was so thrilled to hear about it-“

“It’s fine,” Jason chuckles into red hair. “She woulda found out anyway. Can’t keep a damn secret long in this town no more.”

Red squeezes Jason’s thigh, a goofy smile on his face.

_What the hell are you waiting for,_ Mildred’s voice echoes in his head.

Jason clears his throat. “She gave me a gift, actually. To say congratulations.” He fumbles in his pocket, the nervousness beginning to set in when he catches Red’s curious gaze.

His hand is trembling slightly when he finally retrieves the box and opens it. He can hear Red’s sharp intake of breath when he sees what’s inside. It’s only now that Jason realises the diamond is the same colour as Red’s eyes.

“What...” Red’s sitting up straight now, eyes wide and cheeks slightly flushed. “What did she give you _that_ for?”

“It was her grandma’s.” Jason can feel the confidence growing in him as he watches Red’s stunned expression soften into something else. “She was savin’ it for Angela. She didn’t think she’d get any use out of it now so she was wonderin’ if I might want it.”

“Oh yeah?” Red swallows, his eyes finally leaving the ring to fix on Jason’s face.

“Yeah. Shit, I think I’m meant to do this on one knee or somethin’?”

Jason clumsily slips off the couch and arranges himself so that he’s on one knee in front of Red. He’d been thinking about what he wanted to say on the way home, but the words he’d rehearsed had fluttered from his brain like butterflies. Red’s small smile is all the encouragement he needs though.

“I ain’t good with words.” Jason takes Red’s hand in his own. “But I want you to know I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, Red Welby. Everything good in my life has happened cos of you. And I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you.”

“Jason,” Red says a little breathlessly, blue eyes shining so goddamn bright, “you don’t have to do this-“

“I want to,” Jason says firmly. “I want to so bad, Red. I fuckin’ love you, baby. Marry me. Please. I mean, shit, guess I’m supposed to ask ya rather than tell ya, I don’t want ya thinkin’ that I think I own ya or anything like that, and I...shit, I’m fuckin’ this up, this was supposed to be romantic-“

Red cuts him off with a firm kiss. Jason feels fingers carding through his hair, stroking the back of his neck. Yeah, he definitely wants _this_ for the rest of his life.

“Just ask me,” Red says softly against Jason’s lips when they part.

Jason smiles. “Red Welby, will you marry me?”

“ _Yes_.” Red closes the distance between them for another kiss. “I will marry you, Jason Dixon.”

Jason doesn’t think he’s ever felt this happy in his whole life, not when he graduated from the Academy, not when Red chose to forgive him for the window incident, not when they had their first kiss, or when he got his job back-

“Jesus Christ,” Red croaks as Jason slides the ring on his finger. “Mildred was really saving this for Angela?”

“Yeah.” Jason admires the way the ring looks on Red’s slim finger. “She thought it would look good on you though. And I gotta say, she was right.”

Red’s smile is almost blinding as he leans in for another kiss, the metal of the engagement ring cool against the scarred side of Jason’s face.

“I love you, Jason Dixon.” Red’s smile grows wider. “I gotta call your mom.”

“What?” Jason frowns. “What the hell for?”

“To tell her we’re engaged, of course!” Red says as he reaches for the phone. “You know she’s gonna be crushed if she hears it from anyone other than us.”

Jason smiles as he watches Red dial his Momma’s number.

He must remember to call Mildred and thank her. And invite her to the wedding.

END 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments welcomed and appreciated! 
> 
> If you’re on Tumblr, come say hi @dixonxwelby :)


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